Zutto Hitori Janai
by Death-Angel-Hikari
Summary: [An AU fic]After enduring three years of painful solitude, a young teen finds his spirit shattered by a seemingly innocent relationship. Can he find the determination and inner strength to see past these disappointments and discover the truth: that he is
1. Prologue

A/N: It's me again, Hikari, with another story (as you can plainly see). For those looking forward to a fic with mythical properties and all that whatnot, I'm sorry to say that you'll be disappointed. I've decided to divert from my usual fiction and write something of a biography - no, it's not mine, but a VERY close friend's...poor thing. She released her old diary to me (gasp!) and asked me to create a story out of it; she said that she needed to get it out, somehow. So, yes, this story is the product of my reading that diary and my conversations with her regarding her previous 'situation'.

Disclaimer: All characters depicted herein are copyright and trademark of Aoki Takao, d-Rights, and Takara Beyblade Project. Furthermore,most of the situations mentioned in the story are based on real happenings. The same holds true for the characters, and while the author has tried to make them as in character as possible, they have nonetheless been modified to suit the circumstances.

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**Prologue: Zutto Hitori De **

It's a lovely, sunny day; the sky is a clear azure blue, a fresh breeze is blowing, the air seems filled with birdsong. School let out a few days ago, and I'm finally free. Not to mention the view from the top of the Eiffel tower is breathtaking, and I'm spending time with my family – my mom, dad, and grandfather, really. I _should_ be happy, at least _grateful_ that this is happening, but…why do I feel that I have no reason to smile?

_Sou _…that's why…

It all started sometime during the second semester. I'd noticed that we – the four of us – were spending less and less time together. Whenever I'd look for _them_, they always seemed to disappear; when I _did_ manage to find them and was about to approach, they'd run away, for some strange reason. I tried to act as though it were no big deal when, in fact, it was quite the opposite.

Soon, I could stand it no more. A few nights before our last day together as a class, I composed letters to each one of them, requesting an explanation for their strange and highly disturbing behavior. When that day came, I had an extremely difficult time delivering the letters to them in person; they kept running away.

I waited for several days for at least _one_ of them to call me; none did. And then, it came: an electronic chain letter. It was from all of them, of course; the last one to write in it had sent it to me. In it, each one of them gave varying reasons for their recent behavior towards me, but it all led up to one thing: they didn't like me. That was that.

_They_…my 'best friends'…left me, without valid explanation. They _used_ me, and then left me lying in the dirt. They _pretended_ to befriend me, and then laughed at me behind my back.

I'll say one thing about them, though: they sure know how to spoil what would have been a great trip – I'd received the e-mail the day before I was to leave on a two-week vacation in Paris.

And you know what hurts more? While those three were my _best_ friends, there were also several other people in class who call themselves my 'friends'; they knew the truth about the trio, yet they did nothing to warn me, or help ease the pain of reality.

And here I thought I'd escaped the pain and solitude of my elementary days…

Yeah, I'm mad at them, but I'm mostly mad at myself. Was I really that _blind_, that willing and…_desperate_ to have _real_ friends that I went along with their ploy? _How_ could I have been so STUPID? I should have seen right through them, yet I didn't. Even when they started acting like _that_ around me, I refused to believe it; I continued to believe in a fairy tale, which was a far cry from the true story.

So far, my family and I have been in Paris for three days, and I don't know if I can keep up this act any longer than a week. Already my father has asked me, five times now, if I'm all right. I keep saying that I'm fine, and throw in a smile for good measure, but I don't think he's convinced. Should I tell them the whole thing, keep several elements to myself, or fabricate a whole new story for their benefit?

Deep breaths…calm yourself…think peaceful, happy thoughts… 

It doesn't work. My mind keeps going back to the day we first met, back in first year, and then it zooms forward to the day I received the e-mail.

"Son?"

"Huh?" I am startled from my thoughts, and I turn around. It is Father, and he looks concerned.

"Are you okay?"

I smile once more. "Yeah, Dad, I'm fine!"

"You're so…quiet."

"Dad, I'm almost always quiet, even at home…"

"Well…_more_ quiet than usual." He approaches, and I try my hardest to look nonchalant. "Are you _sure_ there's nothing wrong?"

"I'm sure, Dad," I hear myself say. And then I switch topics. "Hey, can we see the Notre Dame Cathedral next?"

Dad smiles brightly; I hope he's convinced that there's really nothing wrong. "Of course we can, after we eat lunch. Is that all right with you?"

I nod vigorously, still trying to keep up the act. "After lunch sounds fine. But why not now?"

"For one thing, your mother and your grandfather are waiting at one of the lower levels, the one with the huge café. For another thing, it's nearing half past twelve."

I can feel my eyes widen. We've been at the Eiffel tower since a little after nine; have we really spent more than three hours here? "Oh. So…are we going to meet Mom and Grandpa now?"

Dad smiles again and nods before he turns and heads towards the elevator. I stay behind a little, breathing deeply the fresh, clean air, before I follow.

Deep inside, I pray that my behavior will not spoil the trip for my whole family.

* * *

It's approximately ten thirty in the evening, and we've just returned to the hotel from an entire day on the city. We've already eaten dinner, so all I need to worry about is taking a bath, and then I can stretch out on my bed and wait for sleep to come. I look ahead to see my mother walking ahead of me. I watch for a moment, mesmerized as her silky, raven locks sway from side to side in the evening breeze before we step into the lobby. If I'd been a girl, I would have liked to look like Mom. I tap her gently on the shoulder, which is no problem; we're almost the same height.

"Mom, can I go upstairs now? I'd like to go to bed early."

"Why, sure, dear. Though I can't imagine why you'd ask me if you can go ahead; after all, we've booked you for a single suite, remember?"

I smile sheepishly. "I guess I got used to having the same room as you guys on family trips like these. I'll go over to the front desk now. _Oyasuminasai._"

"_Oyasuminasa,_." Mom, Dad, and Grandpa reply in unison, smiling. I smile, too; it's great seeing all of them happy, especially Grandpa. He's rarely cheerful, but that could be because we lost Grandma two years ago. She used to come with us, too, on previous family vacations. I miss her, and I'm sure Grandfather misses her more.

I give a small wave before I make my way over to the front desk and claim my room key. Then I approach the _huge_ elevators and press the button.

While waiting for the elevator car to arrive, I look around the lobby, looking for my family. They're still seated at one of the small coffee tables scattered around the lobby, and I manage to hear a little of their conversation.

"But what could it be, Yuuhi?" Mom asks, looking worried.

"I'm not sure, Akiko, but it could be something to do with his friends." Dad says, a thoughtful look on his face.

Gulp. I guess Dad wasn't as convinced as I thought. Thankfully, the elevator car has arrived, so I can leave before any of them notice that I'm not yet upstairs.

The doors slide open, and inside is the usual lift operator. I step in and say, "_Quatriéme étage, sil vous plait._"

"_Oui._"

The doors close fairly quickly, and I can feel the car rising. Soon it arrives at the fourth floor, and I step out, with a quick "_Merci,_" of course, before rushing off to my room.

Upon reaching the room, I decide to take a shower instead of soaking in the tub, as I had originally planned. I have to make it look like I've been asleep for some time, just in case Dad comes in and wants to 'talk' – specifically, about my 'problem with friends'.

I dress quickly and then sit down on my bed. Then I spy my Bible – Dad gave it to me for my birthday when I was in the fifth grade – lying on the bedside table. I pick it up and flip it open carefully, waiting for my heart to tell me when to stop and read. Finally it does, and I look at the page I had opened it to.

The Book of Matthew, chapter 21, verse 22: _And all things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive._

I read it several times, turning the words over in my mind. Finally, I close the sacred book and lay it back on the table. Suddenly, I don't feel so heavy-hearted after reading that passage, for I know what it says is true. I only need to ask Him for strength – to overcome the pain, to forgive them for what they did, and to move on – and I know that God will give it to me. It may not come now or tomorrow – it may not even come for several months – but I know in my heart that it will come, one way or another.

Slowly, just like I did when I was younger, I kneel by the side of my bed, clasp my hands together, and pray.

* * *

**Rina's Diary:**

_Now I feel more alone than ever...I only found out today that my three best friends had been playing me for a fool...I HATE THEM! But at the same time, I hate myself more for falling for their sick tricks. _

_Was I really _that_ desperate for friends, that I'd easily believe people's lies? _

_God, what do you want from me! It's been five years, and I've yet to find a group of people to call 'my friends'! Why all this pain?__Yes, I know I have a loving family - my parents and my two siblings - and I'm grateful to You for that. But I sometimes have to wonder: what is my purpose here that I have to go through all this suffering?_

_I need to know: am I to live life alone?_

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A/N: In case you guys are wondering, yes, my friend's name is Rina(thought that's **not** her real name). I forgot to mention: she also asked me to include excerpts from her diary if I found it fit the chapter - probably there's going to be an excerpt in EVERY chapter! No, Rina is NOT a character in the story. There will be no OCs this time around. For those of you who think I'm exploiting a poor girl's sad past, she gave me permission; she said that perhaps sharing what happened to her would help reach others still not in the faith - Rina's a devout Christian, and I do believe that this experience helped her grow.

As for my other fics (I forgot which ones in particular), I'll try to update within the month; my files disk got corrupted so I'm missing some chapters for those fics(Rei, where are you?)...Sorry for the delays in updates! I'll try to make sure it doesn't happen again!

Peace out and God bless!


	2. Chapter 1: Hope

A/N: Hi, people! Yes, I updated pretty fast for a new story. About the only reason for this speed is because this chappie was one of the few I managed to rescue from a corrupted disk. So, here I am, with Chapter 1 for 'Hitori Janai...Zutto'.

Disclaimer: Isn't it obvious?

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**Chapter 1: Hope**

Morning once more in Tokyo, Japan. As was usual when school starts, the day was rather balmy. On the grounds surrounding one of the more luxurious-looking houses, several late-flowering cherry trees were blossoming, as were the flowers in the rear garden of the house.

In said house – it was a mansion, actually – a maid was walking down the hall to a room she herself had visited many times. It was her responsibility to see that the occupant awoke as promptly as possible; otherwise, he would be late for his first day back at school.

She knocked thrice; a rather sleepy voice called from within. "_Hai_?"

"Hiwatari-_sama_," the maid answered. "It's time to rise. You might miss your first day."

Several quiet moments passed before then the oak door opened a crack, and several strands of slate-gray hair and a single amethyst eye passed into view. "Please tell them I'll be down in fifteen minutes; I still need to bathe and dress."

The maid bowed in acknowledgment, turned, and left.

The young teen – he was turning fifteen in November – slowly closed the door. He looked about his room and smiled faintly, remembering the family vacation he'd returned from not even a week ago. He supposed he was still fairly jet-lagged, which would account for his sleepiness.

The slate-haired teen walked over to his desk and picked up the sketchpad that lay open. He scanned the contents for several moments, and then turned and slipped it into his black schoolbag. Then he grabbed several articles of clothing – his school uniform, to be more precise – and went into his personal bathroom.

Minutes later, the sound of running water could be heard.

* * *

"Hiwatari?" The gray-haired teacher called, glancing at his clipboard. He then looked at the class expectedly.

Hiwatari Kai looked up from his notebook, which he had been doodling in while staring out the window. It took him only a split second to realize that it was a roll call; he took a deep breath before replying, "_Hai._"

"Ivanov?"

"_Hai._" Came the reply from across the room.

The slate-haired teen started when he heard the familiar voice. He discreetly turned his head to look in that direction, and what he saw made him freeze inside. Crimson hair swept up into a hairdo that looked humanly impossible, two long pointed bangs falling into the front of the face; icy blue eyes that could darken at the slightest mention of an insult; and pale skin that rivaled even his own.

_Yuri._

Kai's eyes widened, and then he shut them tight and shook his head to clear his thoughts. _So many memories…_

"Kanesaka?"

"_Hai._"

"Kinomiya?"

"_Hai…_"

And so it went, all the way down the list. However, Kai paid little attention to the names of his classmates; for him, those pieces of information didn't matter. Not since what happened to him in second year.

Kai closed his eyes, tuning out to what his teacher was saying. He was having trouble concentrating anyway, now that he knew that he would be sharing a schoolroom with one of the people he'd been trying to avoid…since the incident, at least.

After several moments, the amethyst-eyed teen turned his head slightly, to glance once more at his crimson-haired classmate. For a while, Kai felt glad that they weren't making eye contact. And then…Yuri Ivanov turned to look at him; Kai felt their gazes lock. He quickly looked away.

_If you don't let him near you again,_ he told himself silently, gripping his pencil tightly, _then you'll be fine…_He took a deep breath, then turned to stare out the window again. _You'll be fine…

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_

"Hey, Kai."

Kai looked up from his sketchpad (it was time for morning break, and he'd brought it out just to pass the time) to see another familiar – but welcome – face. He smiled. Since he hadn't paid much attention to the roll call, this came as a pleasant surprise. He put down the pencil and eraser and turned to face the person who sat down beside him. "_Ohayou, _Hiromi-san…_hisashiburi desu ne?_" 1

The auburn teen smiled back at him. "_Hai_. _Anata wa_ _ogenki desu ne? _" 2

Kai nodded, then brushed away several strands of slate-gray hair that had fallen into his eyes. "It's nice to finally see a friendly face."

Tachibana Hiromi frowned when she saw her best friend's face darken slightly. And what exactly had he meant by that remark?

"Kai-_kun_," she began, "_nan'ga atta'nda?_" 3 She reached for the slate-haired teen's hand and grasped it gently with her own. Kai looked into her ruby orbs and saw the concern shining there.

_Should I tell her?_

There was silence for several minutes while Kai contemplated whether or not to tell Hiromi the truth. Finally, he decided on the former.

"It happened…just last year, halfway through the second semester…" Kai started, his voice quiet and pained. He took a deep breath and continued.

"I'd noticed that Boris, Yuri, and Ivan were acting rather-"

"Weird?" Hiromi volunteered. Kai glanced up briefly, and then looked back down at the floor.

"So you noticed, too, huh?" he asked.

Hiromi nodded slowly, though she knew he couldn't see her. "I did. That's when we started spending all of our break times together."

"_Hai…_" Kai agreed, a hint of joy in his voice. And then, in the blink of an eye, it disappeared. "Anyway, a few days before the school year ended, I wrote each of them a personal letter, asking for an explanation for their behavior."

"That's what you were trying to give them back then?" Hiromi broke in again. She'd seen that Kai had had a hard time approaching his group of friends that day, but had though nothing of it.

Kai nodded. "Anyway, I expected them to reply – either face-to-face, through the phone, or even on my cellular phone. Thing is, they didn't."

"Maybe they were busy or-" Hiromi offered, but Kai cut her off.

"No, no…they _did_ reply, after two weeks or so… It was a few days before I left for vacation when I received an e-mail from all three of them. And…" His voice trailed off as he struggled to control the sadness and hurt that threatened to overwhelm him. He couldn't break down; not here, not now, _definitely_ not in front of Hiromi.

The ruby-eyed girl sat quietly as she waited for Kai to grab hold of himself; she could tell that whatever had happened must have been quite a blow to his psyche, and that he needed time to gather his strength to tell it to anyone.

Soon, Kai managed to steady himself and relayed the rest of the facts: how the e-mail had contained the message of dislike; and how he'd felt when he first read it; and how bad he felt that everyone else in their class had kept the truth from him, even though they knew it. Hiromi listened patiently while he 'ranted' – he wasn't shouting, at least. She knew how it felt to be unwanted for she'd suffered the same thing while in her elementary years.

Finally, Kai finished his 'story', took a deep breath, and then fell silent again. The auburn-haired teen took this as her queue.

"Well, look at it this way," she began, attempting to cheer up her friend. "At least you don't have to deal with _all_ of them this year; we're only classmates with Yuri-san."

Kai nodded sullenly; he secretly wished that he didn't have to deal with _any_ of them. Just out of curiosity, he stole a glance at Yuri's chair, expecting it to be empty. Instead, the blue-eyed teen was still seated in it, looking strangely…lonely.

Kai shook his head. The Russian was just bored, that's all.

Hiromi saw that Kai wasn't listening; she broke into a grin. "So, you up for a round of 'Yu-Gi-Oh!'?"

Kai glanced back at her. "Sure you'll pose a challenge this time?" He asked, smirking.

"Riiight…If I recall correctly, I kicked your butt during our last battle."

"That was nearly three months ago! Do you actually think I'd have the same deck?"

* * *

Yuri glanced at them from across the room. Unbeknownst to Kai and Hiromi, the crimson-haired teen had heard every word.

And it hurt, being reminded of how he, Yuri Ivanov, had had to tell one of the most interesting people he knew, the four words he never thought he'd say: _I don't like you_.

It had been a surprise when Ivan Petriovsky called to inform him of the chain e-mail; all throughout the three-way conference call, Yuri had been silent, whereas Boris Kuznetsov and Ivan had discussed what each would put in his section of the message; this 'reply' was nothing short of cowardly, he though, and he wanted no part of it. However, he had gone without friends for quite a while – just a little over a year – and had wanted to feel welcome and accepted; in the end, he'd interrupted the 'argument' between the two other Russians.

"Look, you two," he'd said, obviously irritated. "This is taking too long. How about I start the e-mail, and then I'll send it to either one of you?"

"Okay…" Ivan had replied, sounding unconvinced. "Why are you in such a hurry to end this phone call anyway?"

"I was in the middle of a movie, and I'd like to get back to it now."

"Oh. Well, sorry 'bout that, Yuri. Didn't think this call would take so long."

"Yeah, sure, Ivan. 'Bye." And with that, Yuri had put down the receiver. Of course, there wasn't really a movie. He was just getting tired of hearing all the putdowns that Kai was unknowingly receiving. However, he'd just volunteered to start the e-mail. There had been no backing down from that, and now look where it got him!

Yuri knew that they had been unfair, the three of them, when they didn't give Kai a real chance at friendship. He knew what the slate-haired teen had gone through in his elementary years, and he was truly sorry to have added to his sorrow. Three years of being ostracized by the whole class was no picnic, but Kai had been able to endure it; Yuri admired him for that.

He sighed and ran a hand impatiently through his hair. What _was_ it that kept him from being true to one of his best friends? It couldn't have been solely the desire to be accepted, could it? Even until now the answer eluded him.

He glanced up again at Kai and Hiromi, once more engrossed in another of their card games. He smiled. He'd never been a sharp one at strategy trading card games, but Kai was different; teach him any game and he'd get the hang of it after only a few tries. That was another trait Yuri admired in him, aside from his great resiliency to the trends of the world.

Sighing again, he reached into his school bag and brought out his notebook. He had a lot to share with his friend that he might as well start with that: a written apology.

* * *

"Psst."

Kai looked up from his notebook to find his seatmate looking at him intently.

"What?" The amethyst-eyed teen asked, his voice a hoarse whisper. His seatmate, a cheerful-looking sort with steel-blue eyes and dark blue hair, gestured wildly to the floor; Kai thought he looked familiar but couldn't place it at that time. Instead, he followed the boy's gaze and came across a sheet of snow-white paper, folded carefully into a crane.

Violet orbs narrowed. There was only one person he knew who was skilled at origami: Yuri. _What in the world does he want from me?_ Kai thought as he ducked down to retrieve the paper. He opened it slowly as he straightened up in his seat.

His eyes widened as he read the crimson-haired teen's message. For a note, it was quite lengthy.

Amethyst pools flicked back and forth as he reread the note.

_Kai,_

_I am truly sorry for what happened last school year. I wanted to remain true to you when _they_ didn't, but something – I know not what – came over me. I'm really sorry because I could see in your eyes what you were going through, yet I had not the courage to do anything about it. _

_You must have been hurt really bad by what we did, and it wouldn't surprise me if our friendship ended here. However, I hope that you'll be able to forgive me. I don't think we'd survive one school year together without acknowledging each other's existence, ne? _

_Once more, my sincerest apologies, especially for what I said in the chain e-mail. _

_YURI_

Kai looked up slowly, to see if the teacher was looking at him, and then he glanced at Yuri; the Russian was slumped in his seat, facing the front of the class.

The slate-haired teen carefully refolded the note and slipped it into his bag. Though he knew it could be a trick, it was something worth looking into. Perhaps it would turn out that Yuri had been telling the truth – that he was still Kai's friend; after all, the flame-haired Russian had never meant to hurt Kai, intentionally at least.

Kai smiled and glanced out the window, seemingly noticing for the first time how beautiful the scenery was. Without him knowing, Yuri had given him more than a note of apology: he had given him hope. If there was one thing the amethyst-eyed teen had learned in his short life, it was that no one should be without hope; without it, one was truly dead.

And Kai allowed that feeling to grow, to swell, to burn within his heart. He relished in the warmth hope brought, even as he realized it could easily be replaced with the icy bleakness of depression and sadness, and he allowed it all the same.

* * *

**_Rina's Diary:_**

_Today, Ran (one of my three 'best friends') apologized! I was SO shocked...At first I didn't want to believe her, but then...I saw the look in her eyes; she really _was_ sorry. So, I did what anyone else (probably) would have done: I forgave her._

_Thank you, God, for granting me at least one good friend. It's enough._

_

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A/N: 1 This basically means "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

2 Used in this context, it means something like "I trust you are doing well?"

R&R, dears! I'm off to RP with my dear li'l sister! See you in Chapter 2! Dewa matta and God bless!


	3. Chapter 2: A New Beginning

A/N: Okay, I'm back with new chapter! I had a hard time with this one, actually, because a lot of diary entries were missing...Rina-chan, do you really want to go through with this? I'm a bit worried for you, I mean, this thing should be private...

Mei: As long as 'Rina' is just a pseudonym for your friend, she should be fine, Kari-chan!

Me: I guess you're right...

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade, and only a few of the events here are entirely fictional...not that there are any as of yet...

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**Chapter 2: A New Beginning**

"Kai, you've gotten pretty good!" Yuri exclaimed as he flipped the pages of Kai's sketchpad excitedly. "In your pin-ups and standard drawings, it's not _that_ obvious, but in your _manga_, it really shows."

"Thanks, Yuri, but I _still_ think you're the better artist."

"Yeah, I know…"

"Oh, for-!"

It was around two weeks into the new school year. Happily, Kai and Yuri were on speaking terms, and – to tell the truth – it was as if nothing had happened between the two of them. It was different for the other two – Ivan Petriovsky and Boris Kuznetsov; they avoided Kai at all costs.

Kai smiled as he recalled an incident that happened just that Monday…

It was break time, and Yuri had once more left the classroom, but only for a little while. Then he had returned and asked to borrow Kai's clear book – the spiral-bound plastic folder with see-through sleeves where he kept all his artwork – and brought it outside.

Partly out of curiosity, and partly because he felt the urge to use the washroom, Kai, too, left the room.

As he was walking towards the toilet, he noticed Yuri standing alone in the corridor, trying not to look inconspicuous, and the clear book remained unopened. Kai glanced away from the redhead to see both Ivan and Boris running away from _him_ – Kai – in opposite directions. Usually, this would have been mortifying for the slate-haired teen, but in this case, he found it almost hilarious. Students around them had kept giving the two weird looks, since they apparently found no valid reason for them to be running.

Kai had chuckled then when he realized how foolish Boris and Ivan looked, and then had continued on his way.

"Yuri! Kai! Over here!" A familiar voice called, causing Kai to snap out of his reverie.

Both Kai and Yuri looked up to see Kinomiya Takao waving them over. Yuri smiled, closed the sketchpad and handed it back to Kai before standing up and making his way to the steel blue-eyed teen; Kai followed close behind.

"Hey, Takao." Kai greeted first. "What is it this time?"

"Nothin' much," Takao answered between bites of his sandwich. "Have you guys finished eating already?"

Yuri nodded. "Yup. Around ten minutes ago. Why?"

"It's so quiet in here; I just wanted some artists to talk to."

"Gee, that's too bad…" The icy-eyed teen said, grinning. "I can account for only one here."

"Thanks a lot, Yuri." Kai said, glancing at him pointedly. They were used to this kind of jokes; they did it a lot back in second year.

"You're welcome."

"Anyway," Takao piped in, crumpling the sandwich paper and tossing it expertly into the wastebasket nearby. "Have you guys realized that this is our last year in junior high?" Both Kai and Yuri nodded, indicating that he should continue. "Well, I just thought we should make it more…memorable for the three of us."

"That sounds right…" Kai said, running a hand through his hair. "Do you have anything in mind?"

"Err…we could work on a comic book together – you know, a collaboration?"

"Oookay…" Yuri said, still unconvinced. "Problem: the story? And who'll work on which part?"

"Hold your horses; I'll think of something…" Takao replied.

Takao, Yuri and Kai had actually met back in their first year. All three – and Ivan – had joined the same club. It was also that year that they discovered each other's passion for art.

"Oh, yeah! Kai, what was it that Yuri was looking at a moment ago?" Takao asked, grinning at the slate-haired teen. "A sketchpad or something?"

"Yup." Kai replied, instinctively clutching the sketchpad tighter.

"May I see?"

"Um…" Kai glanced off towards the window, as if in deep thought; in reality, he was apprehensive about showing his artwork to anyone else except Yuri and Hiromi, since he'd known them for a longer time. _But Takao's a _friendhe thought fiercely. _He can see it if he wants to; he's not going to make senseless, painful comments about my drawings…_

Smiling, he held out the book. "Here. I have to warn you though, most of it's crap."

Takao took the proffered sketchbook and started to flip through it. Kai sat down in order to see the blue-haired teen's face more clearly.

"Wow! I really envy you, Kai!" Takao exclaimed. Kai looked up, startled.

"Huh?"

"This is _manga_, right? Takao held up the pad, showing a page of sequential art. Kai nodded.

"It's really good. Or rather, it's quite obvious that you're improving. It shows in the difference of art in successive pages." Takao put it on his desk and continued to leaf through it. "When did you start this?"

"Half-way through first year."

"So you improved this much in less than two years. Impressive…"

"Glad you think so. But I still think that you and Yuri are better than me. You should see Yuri's work; he's mastered most traditional coloring techniques, and he's a whiz at CG works."

"I've seen his art on the website." Takao replied; he still hadn't looked up from the sketchpad. "But _your_ work is something special, Kai."

"What do you mean?"

"Neither Yuri nor I can draw succeeding pages of art, using the same characters over and over again." The steel blue-eyed teen finally looked up and smiled reassuringly. "Believe me, Kai, it takes true talent to come up with a character on a whim, and draw him – or her – again and again. Also, you have to incorporate backgrounds on some panels, right?"

Kai nodded again. "So?"

"While you're improving your drawing techniques, you're also improving how you render both city and natural landscapes. Not to mention your shading has taken a turn for the better."

Kai grinned brightly. "You think so? I think it needs a little more work."

"Don't you know?" Yuri added, leaning on the edge of Takao's desk. "The artist's most persistent critic is the artist himself?"

"I didn't know that…" Kai muttered, looking at the floor.

"That means, though you see your work as mediocre, the truth is, it's already very good. And I – no, _we_ mean that, Kai." Yuri continued, smiling. "Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise…"

"Okay…" Takao piped up, pulling a disgusted face. "Yuri, quit it with the touchy-feely act; you're scaring me."

Both Kai and Yuri chuckled.

"So, about the collaborative comic book…"

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"…So we decided that Takao would design the characters, I would pencil and ink the pages – trying to stick to original character design, of course – and Yuri would color them, using his PC, and then post them on-line."

Hiwatari Yuuhi smiled at his teenage son. "That sounds like a fine idea, Kai." He put down his chopsticks. "Though I prefer that you work on your traditional art – scenery, portraits, charcoals – if that's what you want, then it's fine with me. As long as it helps you to make more friends."

"I'm pretty much fine with the ones I have, Dad." Kai said, shoveling the last of his rice into his mouth. He swallowed. "At least I know that they accept me for who I am."

"But don't you think-"

"Yuuhi, if Kai is comfortable with a small group, then it's all right." Hiwatari Akiko – Kai's mother – intervened quietly. "Besides, don't you think its better to start off with a small group, even if there are just three of them?" She smiled and glanced at Kai, then back to her husband. "Besides, there may be more of them after some time…"

Kai smiled appreciatively at his mother, then finished his tea. "_Goochisosama_." He stood up. "I'm going upstairs now. I need to study for a history quiz tomorrow."

His father smiled and nodded. "Go ahead."

Kai turned to go, but his father stopped him. "Oh, and Kai?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't let this group project of yours get in the way of schoolwork, okay?"

Kai smiled. "I won't, Dad."

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Kai leaned back in his seat and stretched his arms upward until he felt the joints loosening. _Finally!_ He thought, a grin on his face as he surveyed the papers laid out on his desk. _I'm done with all this homework!_

He carefully gathered everything up and slid it into a brown envelope labeled 'Homework', which he then slipped into his schoolbag. Then, he got up and went to his CD player and pressed the 'Play' button. Instantly, the room filled with music from one of Shin Hwa's albums –a gift from Yuri when they were in second year.

Once seated again at his desk, Kai took out his sketchpad, his favorite mechanical pencil, and then flipped to the most recent page in his comic book. After studying it for a few minutes, he turned to an empty page and began laying out the next page.

_Driing!_

Kai looked up as his room phone rang. He dropped his drawing materials and then walked quickly towards the phone and picked up the receiver. He pressed the 'Talk' button – his phone was a wireless extension.

"_Moshi moshi_?"

"Kai?" A familiar voice came on the line.

"_Hai._"

"It's me, Takao."

"Yeah, I guessed. What is it?"

"Do you have to answer to number twelve for our algebra homework?"

"I can tell you the formula, but you'll have to figure out the answer for yourself."

"Might as well take what you can get…" Takao grumbled. There was a slight rustle from the other end – the blue-haired teen must have taken out a piece of paper – and then, "So? What's the formula?"

Kai told him and then made to end the call.

"Hang on! I didn't call just to ask for homework answers!" Takao interrupted quickly. "I also wanted to tell you about the collaborative _manga_ we agreed to work on."

"So what about it?" Kai said, making himself comfortable on the bed. "Did you come up with a story?"

"Actually, I came up with a character first, _then_ a story. So it was a story made to fit a character instead of the other way around."

"That's new…"

"Anyway, I'll show you the draft tomorrow. As for the story, how does this sound? The main character's the last surviving member of his clan, and he's currently under the tutelage of the highest mage in their town, village, city, or whatever. Anyway, he's mediocre or something, and then one day he finds out that he's the Rune Soldier of legend. These three girls tell him so."

"Sounds good so far…" Kai said distractedly. He could tell it was going to be another 'defeat the dark lord thing'…or so he thought.

"And then, after a lot of traveling to find the 'Dark Lord' he and his new companions have to defeat-"

"I knew it." Kai said suddenly.

"Huh?" Takao sounded puzzled.

"That the story was going to be another 'good against evil' story."

"Ah-ah-ah…" Takao said, using the same tone a mother might use against a wayward, 2-year-old toddler. "Don't jump to conclusions just yet. I haven't even finished."

"So finish already. You still have homework to do."

"Right. Anyway, they find the Dark Lord's base of operations – or something like that – but they find no one inside. In the end, the main character – I haven't thought of a name yet – finds out that his 'greatest foe', the one he must destroy, is his own self, but from the future."

Kai sat straight up. "No way!"

"Like it?" The steel blue-eyed teen asked. Kai could almost see him smirking.

"It's…good. Very original. You'd better inform Yuri, though. He might find something to add or something."

"Yeah, whatever. Anyway, later, dude."

"Sure. Later." Kai quickly ended the call. He replaced the receiver in its cradle and returned to his desk and his art.

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"So…this is the main character?" Yuri asked, one crimson eyebrow raised questioningly. He looked up from the sketchpad – a pale blue one – he held.

"The male character, at least…" Takao grinned. "The females are on the next few pages."

"How many females are there, exactly?" The redhead asked, the fingers of one hand poised to flip the page.

"There are only three female main characters, Yuri." The dark blue-haired teen replied.

"I see…" Yuri flipped the three pages in turn, noting the different characters depicted in each, with Kai looking on.

"What the-!" the slate-haired teen exclaimed. "Takao, are you sure I'll be able to stick to your character designs?"

Takao gave the crimson-eyed teen a thumbs-up. "Sure you can, Kai! I've complete faith in you!"

"Yeah, sure…" Kai glanced at the floor, suddenly doubtful he could put up his end of the three-way collaboration. His doubts were not without cause; the stormy-eyed teen's characters were rather complicated to copy, and since these four were the main characters, it meant that Kai would have to draw them the most.

"Anyway, Kai, here you go." Yuri broke into the silent teen's reverie. He held out the sketchpad. "Since you're the _mangaka_, you'll need this as a guide of sorts. I doubt Takao has the layout for the first page yet…"

Kai gave a tiny smile as he took the sketchpad out of the ice blue-eyed teen's hands. "Erm…thanks, Yuri. I…guess I should start practicing sketching these guys-"

**_DRIIIIIINGGGG!_**

"…Or maybe not." Kai added as an afterthought; the bell for class had rung.

"Well, how about we talk a bit more about the comic book later during break?" Takao suggested.

"I suppose…" The crimson-haired teen replied hesitantly, already making his way towards his seat.

Takao turned to Kai. "How about you, Kai?"

"Why not?" Kai grinned. "We _do_ need to talk about the first page…"

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"_Tadaimasu_." Kai called out. School was over for the day, and he had gone home directly in order to finish his homework _and_ work on a 'sample page' for the collaborated comic.

A maid, in the process of drying a dish, came out of the kitchen. She smiled when she saw that her young charge had made it home safely. "_Itterashai_, Kai-_sama_."

Kai smiled back. "Where are Mom and Dad? Aren't they home yet?" he asked.

"Your parents have left on a business trip, young master. Only Souchirou-_sama_ stayed behind this time."

"I see…" Kai walked over to the dining table, picked up and apple, and bit into it. It gave a satisfying crunch. He didn't really mind being left alone with his grandfather; _besides,_ he thought, chewing thoughtfully, _if Mom and Dad are gone, no one can pester me about not mingling with others my age…_

He nodded his thanks to the maid – who turned and went back into the kitchen – and made his way over to the stairs. He decided to stop by his grandfather's study, then go to room and change out of his school uniform.

This was going to be a wonderful, quiet weekend.

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"Wow!" Takao breathed as he took the slim sketchpad out of Kai's hands. It was Monday afternoon – PE time for them, but Kai, Takao, and Yuri didn't feel like running laps or doing anything strenuous – and the two of them were waiting for the crimson-haired Russian to come out of the locker room. "Kai, you already have five pages ready? Are you doing this for a marathon _manga_-illustrating contest?"

Kai smiled sheepishly. "Well, I finished my homework rather quickly and since I already know the first part of the story – the introduction, at least – I decided to do a sample page."

"You said 'sample page'. So how come you have FIVE pages in this sketchpad of yours?" The dark blue-haired teen waved said sketchpad in his companion's face.

"Um…I got bored, so-"

"So what, Kai?"

The amethyst-eyed teen glanced up and grinned. "Oh, hey, Yuri. You finally came out of the lockers."

Yuri nodded, and then sat down on the grassy field beside his two friends. "What did I miss?"

"Mr. Speed Illustrator here just showed me five pages for that comic we're collaborating…" Takao answered, tossing the sketchpad into Yuri's lap. The ice-blue eyes widened.

"Five fully-inked pages? Kai, what did you do? Forget your homework?"

"Of course not!" Kai huffed indignantly, crossing his arms over his chest. "In case you forgot, Ivanov, I handed in all my homework for each subject today. Besides, five pages isn't a lot-"

"Five _penciled _pages, Kai, in three days, is fine. But five _inked_ ones? Don't think so…" The flame-haired teen grinned as he leafed through the book. "Hey, it's pretty good. Takao," he continued, looking up at the stormy-eyed teen. "You should take a closer look at this. Kai managed to stick quite close to your original character design."

Takao was silent as he looked the pages over. Then he gave Kai a thumbs-up. "_Way_ cool, Kai. But didn't you have a hard time copying the character – or characters?"

The slate-haired teen smiled and shook his head. "Not at all. I did a few practice sketches on cheap paper, then on Saturday, when I knew I had the characters down pat, I went out and bought a new sketchpad solely for this project. Then I did the pages. I know I was only supposed to do one, but I got into the spirit of things, so I didn't want to stop…"

"I think you ought to do only three pages this week, Kai." Yuri said, looking up from the sketchpad again. He grinned sheepishly. "I'll only be able to color _and_ post two pages a week, and we're only supposed to be testing this for a month, so…"

"I gotcha, Yuri," Kai said, half-laughing. "But seriously," he continued, sobering up, "I think the inking looks a bit rushed, doesn't it?"

Yuri shook his head. "Nope. It doesn't mar the pencils, and it doesn't look rushed at all."

"Really?"

"Yeah! Believe it or not, Kai, among the three of us, you're probably the best choice for _manga_ illustration."

"So you keep telling me…" Kai muttered.

"And it's the truth!" Yuri exclaimed, a puzzled look on his face. "Why do you put yourself down so much?"

"Oh?" Kai arched an eyebrow and smirked. "Look who's talking! Who's the one who's mastered virtually all traditional coloring techniques _and_ digital coloring, yet still declares his work is crap?"

"Well, my sequential art_ is _crap, Hiwatari…"

"Same here," Takao cut in, then smiled. "Aw, c'mon, guys, why are we arguing about whose work is worse and whatnot? We all excel in different areas. You, Kai, are the best sequential artist among us; Yuri's the best at digital coloring; and I rule at pencil sketches. See? We're even, to some degree."

"Guess you're right…" Kai acceded, smiling. "Now can I have the sketchpad back? The way you guys are handling it, it'll be full of wrinkles, and you know I hate it when the paper is wrinkled too much…"

"Yeah, whatever, Illustrator-boy," Takao rolled his eyes as Yuri gave back the un-wrinkled sketchpad. "Now, who's up for the arcade?"

"Are you sure you want to go again, Takao?" Yuri asked. The stormy-eyed teen nodded, to which the redhead smirked. "_That_ anxious to beat Kai, huh?"

"Beat me at what?" Kai asked innocently, though he knew instantly what his friend was referring to.

"At 'Drummania: 10th Mix', of course!" Takao replied. "Do you think I'll forget my utter defeat from the last time? I think not!"

"Whoa, boy, you're being too dramatic!" Yuri cut in, chuckling. "It's just a game!"

"To you, maybe, but I was the one who introduced it to him, and that was just a few weeks ago!"

"So?"

"_So_!" Takao looked slightly ticked off. "Yuri, you got hooked around the same time Kai did, and you're still having trouble with 'Russian Roulette'; what about Kai?"

"Uh…" Yuri averted his gaze. "He…finished it…"

"With what grade when he first finished it?"

"It was a…" Kai replied, looking down at his shoes. "A 'B'…"

"There! You see? It's only been a few weeks and he's managed to earn a 'B' on that song, which is probably one of the hardest in standard mode and without any automated machine responses! Don't you see how embarrassing this is for me? I've been going to the arcade since halfway through summer, and I haven't even _finished_ that song!"

"Hey, it's not _my_ fault if you have awful hand-eye-foot coordination," Kai protested. "And besides, that kind of problem can be fixed; you just need to practice more."

"Which is why we're going _today_, my friends…" Takao answered, grinning as he grabbed Kai and Yuri by the arms and began dragging them towards the lockers.

"Takao! Do you know how embarrassing this is!" Yuri fairly yelled; he did _not_ like being dragged along!

"Besides, we can't change yet." Kai added, "The dismissal bell hasn't even rung!"

The dark blue-haired teen stopped short, and then let go of their arms. "Oh, yeah…" he grinned sheepishly. "Oops…"

"Just in case you ask, Kinomiya," Yuri said, looking at his wristwatch, "we have to wait around ten more minutes for the bell. Then we can change and go play your precious game."

"But…how about a snack before we leave?" Kai suggested. He wasn't usually one to suggest a visit to the cafeteria, but he knew that his friends tended to get involved in their games – so much, in fact, that if they went soon after lunch, the two would forget to take a snack, and by late afternoon, Takao would be complaining of a stomach aching from hunger.

"Good idea!" Takao said, eyes lighting up at the thought of food. "But we have to make it quick; I don't want too many people to be there when we start playing on the drumpad."

"Sure, why not?" Yuri added in agreement. The proposal was sensible enough; he knew how he and the stormy-eyed teen could get about games.

"Then it's settled…" Kai said, flopping down on his back onto the grass. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm just going to try and take a nap before we go. Maybe inspiration for a new drawing will come while I'm napping."

"Don't kid us, Kai," Yuri said, taking a swipe at the slate-haired teen's head. "We know it isn't your habit to nap in school, even when it _is_ free time."

Kai chuckled, not bothered by the 'hit' he'd just taken. "Whatever, Ivanov…"

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"I don't believe this!" Takao exclaimed, his jaw open and his arms dangling limply at his sides.

"Kai…what did you do?" Yuri glanced down at the slate-haired teen, who also stared, transfixed, at the screen he sat in front of.

"I don't know…" Kai replied, one arm extended over the upper-right pad – symbolizing the cymbal on a real drum set – where it had been poised to hit it, but had stopped before it could even execute the action.

"What do you mean, you _don't know_?" the stormy-eyed teen beside him fairly shrieked. "What song did you just play?"

"'Russian Roulette'…" the amethyst-eyed teen replied, glancing down at his shoes.

"And you got an 'S'!" Takao continued, practically glaring at the screen as though the game – Drummania 10th Mix – had made a mistake. "How the hell did you do that?"

"I told, you, Kinomiya, I don't know!" Kai shot back, finally hitting the 'cymbal' and exiting from the score page. "I just…followed the symbols on the screen, like anyone who plays this game does."

"Yeah, but from a 'B' to an 'S'? That's almost impossible!" The dark blue-haired teen narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Kai, who was currently going through the choices of songs for his extra stage – a rare occurrence in their group. "You didn't program the machine to automate the bass, did you?"

"Now why would I do that?" Kai asked, finally choosing a song. "I haven't done that ever since you guys introduced me to this game."

"There's a first time for everything, you know…"

"Not for _this_ one," Kai replied, turning his attention back to the game; the song was starting. He'd played this song before and had failed the stage, but he wanted to try it out, just for kicks.

"Takao, will you stop whining indirectly about your lack in the coordination compartment?" Yuri finally opened his mouth and spoke. "You should be glad someone finally nailed that song _without_ using the 'auto' facilities."

"Yeah, well…Hey! I haven't heard that song before!" the stormy-eyed teen exclaimed suddenly, taking notice of the furious bass beat and hand combos Kai was performing.

"Yeah, it's new to me, too." Yuri added, watching the symbols they were supposed to follow appear at the top and disappear at the bottom of the screen. "What song is that, Kai?"

"It's 'My Friend'; I don't know the artist, though…" Kai replied, not taking his eyes off the screen. "Now be quiet; the hard part's coming up…"

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_**Rina's Diary:**_

_Mom and Dad left for another business trip, but it's okay. I'm going over to my cousins' house to stay with them while my parents are gone. At least their house is closer to school…_

_Ran, Ami and I are starting our own _manga_ – that's Japanese for 'comic book'. And they made me the illustrator, something about having a better eye and skills for sequential art, they said. _

_It's great to have friends again, but it's like I can't open up that much to them yet; guess I'm still afraid of being hurt again, like before. _

_Are these the true friends You've promised me?_

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A/N: So...what did you guys think? Funny thing is, when the Drummania thing happened, both Rina-chan and I got the 'S' in 'Russian Roulette', one after the other...XD It was cool, though...and now my _sister_ is hooked on the thing as well, playing almost the exact same songs I did when I went on...Rina-chan, however, stopped playing, for some strange reason...

Anyway...Dewa mata! Peace out and God bless!


	4. Chapter 3: Bonding

A/N: Konnichiwa! I'm back with another chapter! For those of you who've been faithfully reading this fic, I'm truly sorry it took so long! ;

Disclaimer: I hope you guys remember it from the previous chapters...

oOo

**Chapter 3: Bonding**

"God of Obelisk, direct attack!"

"I activate a trap card! Mirror Force!" Kai exclaimed, smirking. "Because of the effect of my trap card, I am protected from God of Obelisk's attack; you, however, take full damage, Hiromi. Since your life points were less than 4000, you lose!"

"Nooo!" the ruby-eyed teen pretended to be horrified. "Impossible! How could this be?"

Kai shook his head as he gathered up his cards. "Enough with the theatrics, Hiromi; let's not waste time here."

Hiromi grinned as she, too, picked up her Yu-Gi-Oh! cards into one pile and started shuffling them. "Okay, okay…how many more minutes until lunch break ends, anyway?"

Kai consulted his wristwatch. "We have…fifteen more minutes until history class."

Hiromi set her deck on Kai's desk, and Kai did the same. It was one of the rare days that Kai spent their lunch hour with his best friend of the opposite sex, doing what they both loved to do in their spare time: dueling.

The auburn-haired girl shrugged as she picked up Kai's deck and halved it, putting the top half beneath the other. She then gave it back to the slate-haired teen as she received her own 'cut' deck from him. "That's enough time for two more matches, I think…"

"Shall we draw now?" Kai asked, reaching for the top card in his deck.

"Sure, why not?" Both teens were quiet as they picked up five cards from the top of their respective decks and put them in their hands. "All right." Hiromi said afterwards, keeping her eye on her hand. "Since I lost, I decide to go first."

"So decide already; we're wasting the fifteen minutes." Kai prodded, trying to control his excitement. He had 'Flute of Summoning Dragon' in his opening hand, and he had a feeling that the other cards he needed weren't too buried in the deck.

"All right…Kai, I want _you_ to go first." Hiromi declared, settling back in her seat. The amethyst-eyed boy shrugged.

"Makes no difference to me," he said as he reached for his deck again, drew a card, and added it to his hand. He slowly laid two cards facedown at the bottom of his field, and put a third one - a monster card - facedown and sideways in the middle. "My turn is over," glancing up at his 'opponent'.

Hiromi said nothing as she went through the motions of drawing a sixth card from her deck. And then she smirked as she laid a card face down on the bottom of _her_ field. "My turn's over, Kai. You're turn."

_That was quick…_ Kai thought as he started over from the draw phase. He hid his smirk; he'd just picked up 'Lord of D', the other card he needed to pull off his plan for that duel. And then he reached for the facedown monster card he'd placed earlier and flipped it face-up. "I flip-summon…"

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"What is it?" Kai hissed as he turned to Takao, who had tapped the slate-haired teen on the shoulder. The stormy-eyed teen quickly passed a small folded piece of paper to Kai, and then pretended to be writing in his notebook when the teacher turned away from the blackboard.

Kai, too, pretending to be copying down the formulae written on the blackboard, making sure the teacher didn't see him before unfolding the note. It was from Yuri.

_Kai,_

_Ivan finally put up his comic on-line. The title is 'Akari to Kage', and that's also the URL (it's a website). _

_Just thought you'd like to know._

_- Yuri_

The amethyst-eyed teen shrugged inwardly as he tucked the note into the small pocket at the back of his notebook. He'd check it out after school.

"Hiwatari, please solve problem number 2 on the board,"

Kai started when he heard his name, and then glanced at the board. He was looking for the problem he was supposed to solve, at the same time keeping an eye out for clues that would help him solve it; he hadn't been paying attention during half the lecture.

Presently he got up and made his way to the front of the class, picked up a piece of chalk, and began to write.

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_Uh, okay…aren't people supposed to improve with time?_ Kai thought as he began reading Ivan's online comic. He noticed that there was almost no difference between the rather diminutive teen's previous works and the one on the screen before him.

_Oh, well…I've nothing else to do; might as well read the entire thing - or whatever's up on this website…_ the slate-haired teen thought as he grasped the mouse and clicked '_Next_'. He reached for his sketchpad and began to scribble while waiting for the image to load on the screen.

When he read the page, he frowned. "That son of a-"

The comic was set in a game world that was slowly taking over the real world. In this page, two of Ivan's characters were discussing their list of suspects, trying to decide who among their schoolmates could be the holder of the Shadow card. That would have been all right, if not for the fact that he, Kai, was featured in one of the panels, describes as the 'boyfriend of the insane female TCG player'. Yes, his comic-self was a far cry from his real appearance but the hair was instantly recognizable as his. Not to mention that he had been illustrated as a total weirdo.

Kai took a deep breath, reached for the mouse, and angrily clicked 'Close'. The page disappeared, and he proceeded to disconnect his computer from the network and shut it down.

"I should have known the little midget would try something like that…" he mumbled angrily, walking over to his closet and flinging it open. "That's it; I need to go cool my head off…"

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_Stupid Ivan..._ Kai thought, heaving a sigh. "He doesn't have to be so graphic about it..." Knowing Ivan, Kai knew that a lot of their schoolmates had accessed the website and had seen that particular page.

The amethyst-eyed teen sighed again. _There's one consolation, though..._ he thought, chuckling slightly. There was a reason for what the small teen had done. _His drawing hasn't improved much; no doubt he saw some of my recent artworks, and became jealous_..._No wonder jealousy is a sin; it makes you do stuff that isn't exactly beneficial to the person you're jealous of..._

Kai glanced up at the drifting gray clouds. It was rather cloudy, but not so much that he couldn't see the moon and several stars scattered here and there. It was a relaxing and awe-inspiring sight, to be sure.

The slate-haired boy flopped down onto the grassy lawn and leaned back against the old, gnarled pine tree, watching the clouds swim past him in a sea of black, swirling and twining, forming pictures and destorying some, dancing to their own slow silent music.

After a few more minutes, he got up, stretched, and turned back towards the house. He'd gotten over his original anger at Ivan's drawing. He knew, deep down, that that wasn't what he, Kai, was really like. And that was enough for him.

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"Hiromi, over here!" Kai called waving his hand to attract the girl's attention. It was around two weeks later, and the entire year was going on a class trip. Their teachers had told them to board the provided buses already, and Hiromi was looking confused as to where to sit; almost all the seats were filled.

Finally, the ruby-eyed teen spotted Kai and made her way over to him. She slid her bag under her chair, and then sank down onto the seat. "Thanks for saving me a seat, Kai," she said, giving him a small smile. "Everywhere else was full."

Kai sat down beside her, next to the window. "I know. Anyway, try to come earlier next time, okay? Maybe _then_ you won't have trouble finding a seat."

"Yeah, I will."

"Hey there, Hiromi!"

The auburn-haired girl started, and then relaxed when she saw who had called her. "_Konnichiwa_, Takao-_san_, Yuri-_san_."

"Funny we should find seats practically next to each other, _ne_?" The stormy-eyed teen observed. He and Yuri were across the aisle from where Kai and Hiromi were seated.

Kai nodded, rolling his eyes goodnaturedly. "Yeah. How very appropriate."

Yuri sat sideways in his seat and leaned forwards, resting his elbows on his knees. "So, you're Tachibana Hiromi, eh?" At a nod from the ruby-eyed girl, he went on. "So you're the one who taught Kai that trading card game? It's quite rare to find a girl who likes those kind of things."

"Well, my mother said I have...eccentric tastes," Hiromi exclaimed, smiling sheepishly.

"And there's nothing wrong with that, is there?" Yuri gave a small smile, warmth shining in the ice-blue irises. He'd seen how similar Hiromi and Kai were - individualistic and unique, but sadly persecuted for being so. He wondered vaguely if there was something going on between the two.

"Hey! The bus is _finally_ moving!" Takao suddenly exclaimed. "We're on our way now!"

"Kinomiya, please quit flapping your lips," Yuri said, smirking as he did so. "We don't need any more airconditioning, neither do we need a humidifier."

Across from the pair, Kai and Hiromi chuckled.

"Wha-?" At first, the dark blue-haired teen looked confused, and then he frowned. "Yuri, you're going to pay for that remark!"

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"Wow!" Hiromi breathed, leaning forward onto the railing. The destination for the class trip this year was Nara National Park, quite famous for its deer, and they had been given permission to wander around in small groups. Kai, Hiromi, Yuri, and Takao had gone directly to the deer enclosure. "There are so many of them!" The auburn-haired girl continued, a smile spreading on her face. "And the fawns are just so cute!"

"They are quite adorable..." Kai agreed, his eyes on a trio of fawns who were playing what looked like deer tag, chasing each other across the wide expanse of the enclosure and back, sometimes weaving in and out of several young trees.

"It's a good thing these deer are under protection," Yuri stated.

"Yeah," Takao agreed, leaning onto the railing like Hiromi. "Otherwise, there wouldn't be this many in the park to look at."

"_Sou darou..._" Kai mumbled. And then he saw the sign: '_Aviary_'. He smiled. "Hey, why don't we see that part next?" he suggested, gesturing towards the sign.

The crimson-haired Russian shrugged. "Figures. You've always liked birds, Kai."

"Well, it's hard not to like them; they're so interesting to look at!" The slate-haired teen defended himself.

"More interesting than the specimen beside you?" Takao asked, grinning miscievously.

For a moment, Kai stood there, nonplussed, and then realization dawned, and he scowled. "Kinomiya..."

Takao blanched. "Uh...oh..."

"Get back here!" Kai exclaimed as he ran after the scurrying stormy-eyed teen. "And just what did you mean by_ that_, huh?"

"I didn't mean anything by it, Kai! I swear!" Takao shouted back, eyes wide as he struggled to outrun the amethyst-eyed teen.

Yuri chuckled, crossing his arms as he watched the pair running around. "Those two..." he muttered good-naturedly. Then he turned to Hiromi, who stood beside him. "So, what do you say, Hiromi-_san_? Should we go along with Kai's suggestion and go to the aviary, or-" The ice blue-eyed teen stopped short. A pale red flush was showing on the ruby-eyed girl's face, and she clasped her hands in front of her nervously. _Is...is she...blushing!_ Yuri blinked in surprise, and then shooked the thought away. "Uh...Hiromi-_san_?"

Hiromi snapped out of her reverie and turned to look at her remaining companion. "Oh, I'm sorry, Yuri. I...I must have spaced out there. What were you saying?"

Yuri tried to look casual. "I wanted to get your opinion whether or not we go with Kai's suggestion."

Hiromi smiled and shrugged. "I guess we could go and see the birds...I mean, there's not much else to do aside from watching the deer." She glanced towards where Kai was _still_ chasing Takao. "Hey, Kai!"

The slate-haired teen stopped, giving his 'prey' a chance to catch his breath. "Yeah?"

"You said you wanted to go to the aviary, right? C'mon, I'll go with you."

Kai ran up when he heard this, smiling. "Okay. Let's go now."

"Sure!"

00000000000000000000000000

"Whoa! Look at how long that wingspan is!" Kai exclaimed, pointing out the sea eagle flying around the enclosure. "That's the longest I've seen so far."

"You're right." Yuri commented, leaning on the metal railing to get a closer look. "It _does_ have pretty huge wings..."

Around fifteen minutes earlier, Yuri and Takao had decided to join Kai and Hiromi in the aviary and had found the two next to the large cage housing birds of prey.

"Hey, let's go check out the exotic birds over there!" Takao suggested, gesturing to a row of cages at the opposite side of the aviary.

"Okay." Hiromi agreed. She and Takao made their way over to that end, with Yuri following close behind. Kai, however, did not move. He'd spotted someone he thought looked familiar.

The person he'd spotted had long, jet-black hair, but Kai couldn't see the person's face because whoever it was had their back turned to him. Kai knew that he was somewhat attracted because the teen was alone, and _very_ quiet.

Hesitantly, Kai tapped the teen on the shoulder. "Ah..._sumimasen_." The raven-haired teen turned. Kai started inwardly. It wasn't a girl, as he had first thought, but a rather long-haired boy! Also, the boy's eyes were a striking shade of gold. In fact, Kai noted, this teen had rather feline features, which added to his charm.

"Hmm?" The boy gave a small smile. "_Nani_?"

"Uh...I noticed that you were by yourself and I...was wondering if you might like some company..." The amethyst-eyed teen offered.

The black-haired teen's smile grew a bit wider. "That's nice of you, to take interest in me. I've recently transfered here - just last month, in fact - and I don't know anyone at school."

"Well, I suppose someone has to welcome you properly to Shoudai Junior High." Kai said, holding out a hand. "Pleased to meet you. I'm Hiwatari Kai."

"Rei Kon from Shanghai, China. Pleased to meet you, too." At this, the two exchanged handshakes.

"Hey, Kai!" Takao called from the other side of the aviary. "What's taking you so long?"

"Who's he?" Rei asked, glancing at the stormy-eyed teen.

"One of my friends." Kai replied, laying a hand on the Chinese boy's shoulder. "Come, I'll introduce you."

Kai and his new friend went over to the trio. "Sorry, guys. I got caught up in...something else," the amethyst-eyed teen explained, grinning sheepishly.

Yuri crossed his arms over his chest. "We can see that, Hiwatari..."

Kai cleared his throat. "So...Yuri, Hiromi, Takao, I'd like you to meet Rei Kon. He's a transfer student from Shanghai." Then he turned to the boy beside him. "Rei, this is Yuri Ivanov, Tachibana Hiromi, and Kinomiya Takao." He gestured to them one by one as he said their names. "Their my classmates in Class 3-A."

"Welcome to the club!" Takao said cheerily, throwing an arm around the newcomer's shoulders. "It's nice to have someone else from a foreign country in the group, aside from Yuri here."

"I'm looking forward to getting to know you," Hiromi said, bowing politely.

Yuri held out a hand, much like Kai had done. "So you're a transfer student, huh?"

Rei managed to free himself from Takao's grasp, took Yuri's hand, and shook it. "Yeah, I am. I started school at Shoudai Junior High just last month."

"Well, then, I hope you're enjoying your first class trip, Rei-_san_."

"Please, just call me Rei. All my friends do."

"Very well, then, Rei."

Kai grinned. The Chinese teen seemed to fit into his group of friends quite easily, and he was glad of that. Yet he wondered why no one from Rei's class had bothered to befriend the teen yet.

00000000000000000000000000

"Hey, Rei?" Kai began. The whole senior year were en route to Tokyo, and, miraculously, seats at the back of one bus hadn't been occupied. That was where Kai and his friends sat for the return trip.

The golden-eyed teen turned towards Kai. "Yeah?"

"What class are you in?" The amethyst-eyed teen asked. "You know, so we can go visit you during break or something..."

"Oh, I'm in Class 3-D." Rei answered.

Yuri's eyes widened. "Did you just say '3-D'?"

Rei nodded. "Yes. Why? Is something wrong?"

"Is there someone named Ivan Petrionoff in your class?"

"I think so..." Rei looked thoughtful for a second. "Is he...a bit short and has a...prominent nose?" he asked slowly. Kai and Hiromi covered their mouths with their hands, trying hard not to burst out laughing.

Yuri nodded. "Yup. That's the one. He used to be-"

"A friend of yours?" Rei ventured.

"Well, he and I are still friends, but he and Kai parted ways in the summer of last year."

"What happened?" Rei wanted to know.

Yuri looked solemn. "I know what happened, but you'll have to ask Kai. I'm not sure if he'd like me to spill something...personal."

Rei looked down at the floor. "Oh."

Kai, who was seated next to him, laid a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Rei. I'll tell you sometime, okay? I just don't feel ready right now..."

"Sure, I understand."

oOo

A/N: Okay, another chapter done! Yay! Oh, and starting with this chapter, the _Rina's Diary _sections won't be posted every chapter; instead, I will include one where I see fit, if that's okay with you guys...it's tedious work, having to scrutinize each entry and figuring out which parts to include...

Anyway, you know what comes next, right? Dewa mata! Peace out!


	5. Chapter 4: Sharing

A/N: Yeah! Fourth chapter up! I know, I know, the story's kinda dragging, but what can you expect from a true story slighly edited to accomodate fictional characters? Really, you have to look at more than the plot; for this fic, the focus is on the characters and their development... Hehe...something learned from Lit class...

Oh, and these two chapters are dedicated to Rael-Lirdu for being such a commited reader! Thanks, Rael-chan! Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: You guys know it already by now, don't you?...Good.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Sharing **

"Hey, guys! Wait up!"

Hiromi, Rei, Kai, and Yuri turned around at the sound of the familiar voice.

"See? What did I tell you?" Rei said, grinning. "I _knew_ he'd show up at the last minute."

Kai shook his head, then cupped a hand next to his mouth. "Hurry up, Kinomiya! You're always late!"

Soon, the stormy-eyed teen skidded to a stop in front of them, then placed his palms on his knees and leaned forward, trying to catch his breath. "_Gomenasai..._" he said slowly, gasping. "I read...Yuri's text...that the venue had changed...just a few minutes ago..."

"Uh-huh..." Hiromi looked skeptical. "Yuri sent the message around an hour ago. Are you sure you weren't _sleeping_? Knowing you, that's the most likely thing you'd do on a Saturday morning..."

"Well, come on," Rei said, anxious to break the tension between the two. "We don't have much time left until the qualifiers; isn't the first test scheduled for this afternoon?"

"Rei's right; let's get going." Kai agreed.

Their third year in junior high was almost over, and with that came the qualifiers and entrance exams to different senior high schools. Kai and his friends had decided to form a study group, just as others had done; that way, they thought, they'd all have a fair chance of getting into the school of their choice. It kind of bothered Kai that Hiromi was the only female in their group, but, since it didn't seem to bother the girl, he decided to leave it at that.

Soon, they arrived at their destination - the Tokyo National Library. The Russian had suggested this as their study venue because it was close enough to where they would be taking the qualifiers. Without a word, the group quickly went inside and mounted the stairs to the second floor, choosing a round table to the rear of the library, where they were sure no one would disturb them.

"Okay, we covered Mathematics last session," Yuri started, laying out his books. "What subject should we do today?"

"I vote for History," Takao said, opening up his notebook for that subject. "Tagawa-_sensei_ said I need more work."

"I vote for History, too," Rei said, taking a pencil out of his pencil box. "It's one of my hardest subjects."

"We could do Science," Hiromi suggested, leaning back in her chair.

"How about you, Kai?" the crimson-haired Russian asked, glancing at the silent teen. "Any specific subject you want to work on?"

Kai thought hard. He knew that they'd tackled his worst subject in the last session, and he wasn't doing so bad on either History or Science. Then he smiled. "How about we break into groups or something?" he suggested. "Those who want to work on History go in one group, and those who want to work on Science can do the same. Then later, we exchange notes for this session."

"That could work..." Takao scratched his head thougthfully.

"If that's the case," Yuri began pushing away his History book and pulling his Science textbook out of his bag. "Kai, you take History."

"Huh?" Kai dropped his pencil. He didn't really like that subject, never mind that their teacher spoke highly of his performance in class; it was just a means to an end. "Why not you, Yuri?"

"Your marks are the highest in our group," The icy-eyed teen said matter-of-factly.

"You have a point..." The amethyst-eyed boy acquiesced sullenly, stooping over to retrieve the pencil. "Fine, then...let's get started..."

* * *

"Oh...I'm so nervous..." Hiromi half-whispered, clutching her bag so tight that her knuckles turned white under the pressure. 

"Don't be," Kai whispered back. They were lined up outside the testing hall, waiting for their test numbers to be called. Since the five teens had registered at the same time, they would be called one after the other and be seated side by side. "We just went over your 'worst subject' this morning, and I don't think any knowledge gained will disappear in a matter of hours.

"Still...I'm worried about my mind going blank at the start of the test; pressure does that to me," the auburn-haired teen explained, glancing at the floor. "You're lucky you don't experience such things."

"Don't be silly; anyone and everyone experiences that at some point."

Hiromi glanced back up at him. "Not _you_, though; whenever we have a test in class, you're always one of, if not _the_ first to finish."

The amethyst-eyed teen looked skeptical. "I do?"

Hiromi nodded, admiration shining in her ruby orbs. "Yeah! I see you all the time. You're finished in half the amount of time alotted for the test, and then you just doodle until the instructor tells us to hand in our answer sheets."

Kai scratched his head. "Gee...I never noticed how fast it took me to answer those tests." He grinned. "I guess time _does_ fly when you're having fun-"

"And you have fun while doodling." The ruby-eyed teen punched him playfully on the arm.

"Hey!"

"Student numbers 03698, 03699, 03700, 03701, and 03702, please enter the testing hall,"

"That's us, you guys," Takao said, grabbing Rei and Yuri by the arms and practically hauling them after himself towards the door. Kai and Hiromi fell in step behind them. Once at the door, they showed their exam permits and were admitted into the large room.

After several more minutes, the testing hall was filled, and the door was shut. Instantly, the room fell quiet, and a roly-poly balding man stepped up to the front.

"All right, students, as you may notice, the test booklet and answer sheets are already on the desks in front of you. Now, if you will just fill in the required information, then we can begin.

A slight clacking sound broke the relative silence, as everyone took pencils and erasers out of their cases, snapping the metal boxes shut afterwards. Scratching took place of the clacking as each one filled in their name, birthdate, and other information asked for on the answer sheet, and, afterwards, began answering.

After filling up the information sheet, Kai set his pencil down on the desk, placed his hands together in his lap, and closed his eyes.

_Father, I come before Your throne to ask for Your guidance and wisdom in answering this test, not just for me but for my friends as well. We've done all we could to prepare for this, the qualifying exams, but the outcome of it all is up to You. _

_Please help us. In Your Son's name, I pray. Amen._

Having done this, the slate-haired teen felt more at ease. He then picked up his pencil, opened the test booklet to the first page, and began to jot down the answers on the answer sheet.

* * *

"_Tadaimasu_," Hiwatari Susumu called from the doorway. 

"_Itterashai_, _Otoosan_," Kai answered, peeking from the door leading to the living room. "You're home quite early for a weekend," he continued, approaching to see if help was needed. "Did something happen?"

Kai's father reached out and ruffled the amethyst-eyed teen's hair, and then laughed as Kai pulled away. "Nothing much, Kai," he replied, still grinning. "Just the usual surprise business trip."

"Let me guess: _Okaasan_ is going, too, isn't she?"

The older brunette nodded. "Unfortunately, she is. We'll be leaving tomorrow evening, and will be gone for a week and a half. Your grandfather has to stay, of course, to take care of the company." He glanced down at the boy and gave a small smile. "You'll be all right with him?"

"Of course, Dad; I always am." Kai answered, albeit a little sullenly. "I just wish you guys would stop having so many trips abroad, that's all..." he added, half to himself.

"Don't worry, Kai," the older Hiwatari bent down and looked his son in the eye. "School's nearly out, and then we'll go on another family vacation. How does _that_ sound?"

The slate-haired teen glanced up, his smile nearly splitting his face in two. "That's _great_, Dad!" he exclaimed, grabbing the man about his shoulders in a hug. "I'll be looking forward to that..."

"As your mother and I will," Susumu agreed, returning the embrace. "Now, go up to your room, young man, and start your homework, or whatever it is you have to be doing."

"Dad," Kai chuckled, drawing out the word and pretending to look miffed. "It's _Saturday_, you know that. Yeah, we had homework, but I finished it all yesterday afternoon, and I just went through the qualifier exams for high school. Don't I deserve a break?"

"I was kidding, of course," Susumu laughed, once more ruffling Kai's hair.

"I know," Kai said, still smiling. "But I'm still going up to my room."

"Why?"

"I'm working on the sixtieth page of our collaborated comic book. Yuri wants the finished pages tomorrow afternoon so he can post them by Monday; we're meeting at the park and then going out for a movie."

"Just be sure to come down when dinner's ready, and then don't let that comic book get in the way of your sleeping early tonight; we're going to church tomorrow, don't forget that," Susumu instructed.

Kai nodded. "I won't."

* * *

"Woah! Cool!" Rei exclaimed upon seeing the recently finished comic pages Kai handed to Yuri. It was Sunday afternoon. "How long did you work on that?" the neko-jin asked. 

"These?" Yuri held up the sheets of paper the slate-haired teen had handed him.

"Or the comic in its current entirety?" Kai added.

"Both."

"Well..." Takao took a deep breath, "We began work on the comic near the start of this school year-"

"'We'?" Rei looked puzzled.

"It's a collaboration," Kai explained. "The characters and story are Takao's creation, I pencil and ink the pages, and Yuri colors them and posts them online."

"Oh, okay. How many pages now?" the amber-eyed teen wanted to know.

"Um..." the red-headed Russian did a quick mental count, and then smiled. "There are 58 pages up online right now, and after I color and post these two, that will make it 60."

"Hmm...that's two inked and colored pages each week, isn't it?" Rei asked. At a nod from the trio, the neko-jin looked awed. "I can tell coloring isn't hard work; from what Kai told me, you're highly skilled at digital coloring. But," here he turned to the amethyst-eyed teen. "How do you manage to churn out two fully-inked pages a week, Kai?"

"Well, on Sunday and Monday evenings, I'm usually working on the layouts for each page, and then Tuesdays through Thursdays, I work on each page for around thirty minutes a page, after completing my homework, of course. And then Friday evenings or Saturday morning, I ink them, and then I give them to Yuri in the afternoon or the next Monday."

"I'm surprised you still find time to study,"

"Kai doesn't need to study," Takao said, a hint of jealousy in his voice. "He doesn't even take notes in class, and then when a test comes, he's almost always at the top of the class."

"Shut up, Kinomiya. You know that's not true..." Kai muttered, trying to hide the slight flush that rose up in his cheeks.

"Oh, but it is," Yuri contradicted. "I've seen how quickly you finish your tests; sometimes, I'm only halfway done while you've finished and are already relaxing by doodling or writing who-knows-what in your notebook."

"Wow. I'm impressed..." Rei grinned.

"Don't be," Kai said quietly. "You wouldn't want this 'talent', if you could call it that; it's part of the reason I was picked on in elementary."

"You never told me that, Kai..." Yuri said suddenly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well, the subject never came up, and now it has, so I'm telling you..." The slate-haired teen stopped, and then looked up. "That is, if you want me to."

"We're _friends_, doofus," Takao said, suddenly forcing Kai to sit down on the grass. "And that means we talk about ourselves, even when the others don't seem to want to listen; it helps us get closer right?"

Yuri blinked. "I think it's time for an aural check-up..." he said after a time. "Kinomiya just said something smart, which is almost impossible!"

"Joke about it all you want, Ivanov," Takao went on, despite Rei's chuckles in the background. "I'm serious here." Then he turned to the amethyst-eyed teen. "So, Kai? Spill! We haven't got all afternoon!"

"..." Kai looked unsure, then noticed Rei and Yuri sitting down across from him and Takao, so that they formed a rough circle. The raven-haired Chinese gave him a small smile, as though encouraging him. Kai smiled back.

"Well, here goes..." He sighed, and then began playing with the grass, all the while keeping his eyes closed. "There was this section for 'special students' at the school where I went to elementary school. Anyone who got in was expected to be able to handle advanced lessons. Needless to say, I got in, and, to my surprise, these advanced lessons weren't as difficult as I first thought, and I thought the same went for my classmates. Turns out it was the other way around.

"Let's just say they became jealous of my 'talent', so they tried to break me and cause me to lose my standing in class - I was fifth out of forty students - by ostracizing me and stuff. One time, they even took my bookbag and hid it, and none of them would tell me where it was. I went home rather late because of that..."

"I'm guessing you weren't broken by this incident," Takao commented, moving closer. The three others followed suit; Kai pulled up a blade of grass and twirled it between his fingers.

"Well, partially broken, I have to say. I wasn't as outgoing as I once was-"

"You?" the stormy-eyed teen burst out, incredulous. "Outgoing? Somehow, I don't see how that's possible."

"Believe it or not, I _was_ every bit as noisy and annoying as you are, Kinomiya, only way younger, so it's excusable..." Kai replied, smirking. "Anyway, that changed once I hit fourth grade up to sixth. Then I transferred to Shoudai Junior High, to get away from the memories." Here, Kai turned to Rei. "Rei, I promised I'd tell you what happened between me and Ivan, so here it is." The slate-haired teen repeated what he'd told Hiromi at the start of the school year, and at the end of the story, the neko-jin flopped backwards onto the grass.

"Ouch. That's harsh..." he commented. Kai nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, it pretty much was, but thankfully, not _all_ of it was intentional," Kai and Yuri shared a small smile, and then Kai asked, "You're probably wondering why I haven't become overly depressed or moody, or worse, commited suicide, huh?" he asked, alluding to the usual responses to such extremely hurtful or saddening experiences. At a nod from Rei, he gave a small, sad, smile. "Well, as much as I'd like to do so, I happen to know it's not right, so I do everything I can _not_ to fall prey to that. Also, I know it's not through my own strength that I'm able to do so, but through the Savior."

"Huh?" Rei and Takao looked confused. Kai only smiled understandingly.

"I'm talking about Jesus Christ and God, guys. Yuri knows this because I already told him, but I didn't have the opportunity to tell _you_ two. My family is Christian in belief, and I'm very glad we are. Otherwise, I don't know what would have happened to me without God's grace and everlasting love.

"I know, I'm sounding very...mushy and philosophical to you right now-"

"It's actually nice to hear encouraging words come out of your mouth, Kai," Takao said, recovering from the shock of learning one of his friends had a different religion than what was the norm. "Most teens I know of have gone through rather mild trials compared to yours and have already begun taking drugs or killed themselve, yet you...you're still here and...and not on crack or suicidal or anything. Needless to say, I'm impressed."

"Same here," Rei added, laying a hand on the slate-haired teen's shoulder. "Maybe you could tell me more about your God some time?"

Kai smiled. "Sure, as long as you're interested and open to new ideas. Now, I do believe we have a movie to catch."

"Crap, you're right!" Takao jumped up. "C'mon, let's take the shortcut!"

"Wait...what shortcut?" Rei asked after dusting himself off.

"Just follow me!"

"Oh, boy..." Kai groaned. "If there's one thing that backfires _all_ the time, it's Takao's so-called.spontaneous shortcuts..."

"I heard that!"

* * *

_Rina's Diary:_

_Had a movie date with Ran and Ami today. Erika couldn't make it, though...Oh, well, maybe next time she can come!_

_Uwah! I'm so nervous! The entrance exam date for college is nearing! I know, I should leave this matter to God and try my best, no matter what, but I still can't help but feel nervous. Everyone is, too...I think that's why we instantly headed for the arcade after the movie... (,") hmm..._

_I wonder where Shun is planning to enroll? He hasn't told me yet, even though I've asked him nearly a hundred times (not quite, but oh, well...). I think he hasn't decided which school to attend yet. Well, he'd better decide soon; the closing date for entrance submissions is _really_ close, too!_

* * *

A/N: Wooh! Finally got to that part where Rina sort of shares her faith with her friends. Believe me, it takes a lot of guts to admit you're religious, and it's harder to find someone who's actually open to this sort of thing. Believe me, here in the capital, you don't see a lot of _truly_ religious guys; they're all talk and no walk, which is sad... 

In case you're wondering, I'm a Christian, too (if you haven't read my profile); I just hope I've reached someone with my friend's story...If you've been contemplated being converted just from reading this fic, I could help you make that decision. Just email me, and I'll try my best to help you with your problems (sheesh...never thought I'd be offering counseling online, but, oh well...as long as it's for God and not for yourself...), okay?

Oh, and I apologize for the sudden name shift; just found out that Kai's dad's real name…

Dewa mata! Peace out and God bless!


	6. Chapter 5: Relationships and Loss

A/N: I've just recieved word that there is at least one faithful reader of this fic. Hence, this next chapter is dedicated to _you_, Rael-Lirdu! Thanks so much for being so faithful! I hope that this lives up to your expectations, at the same time showing the resilience of human spirit.

Disclaimer: ...like you don't know the drill...

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 5: Relationships and Loss**

"_Tadaimasu_!" Kai called, hanging his jacket on the coatrack. It had been a windy morning, which had turned into a rainy afternoon. The slate-haired teen was glad to finally be within the shelter of his home. "Mom? Dad? Grandpa?" he called his relatives in turn while walking down the hall.

"Kai?" Hiwatari Soichirou stepped out of the living room, looking somewhat...stricken. Upon seeing his grandfather's face, a chill went through the boy's body. He timidly approached the elder.

"Grandpa?" he began, touching the gray-haired man's arm. "Wh-what's wrong?"

Instead of replying, Soichirou clapped a hand on Kai's shoulder and led him slowly into the living room, taking deep breaths as though to steady himself.

_Why does he look so...so _sad Kai thought, feeling his heartbeat intensifying as he was made to sit down on the couch.

"Kai, I...I don't know how to tell you this," the elder Hiwatari started, looking his grandson in the eye, "but there's no beating around the bush about it." He sighed. "Yuuhi and Akiko were supposed to come home today, right?"

Kai's heart skipped a beat upon hearing that the news he was about to recieve concerned his parents.

Soichirou seemed not be able to help himself anymore. He got up, approached Kai, and knelt in front of him. "I just recieved word from the Osaka Emergency Center. Apparently, the return flight your parents were on crashed just outside of the Osaka prefecture. The injured were immediately carted off, but only a handful survived." Soichirou's hands, which had been gripping the amethyst-eyed teen's shoulders, tightened their grip, and the slate-gray of the elder's eyes hid behind the pale brown of the eyelids. "Kai..." he continued, his voice breaking. "Susumu and Akiko...they were among those presumed dead...the search-and-rescue team...couldn't find their bodies, and..."

For a few minutes, there was only shocked silence on Kai's part, and Soichirou sobbed quietly, his hands still on Kai's shoulders. And then, slowly, the full realization descended, like a bomb dropped suddenly from the sky. Amethyst pools welled up and spilled over, tracing rivers down the teen's pale cheeks. A chocked sob burst free from the constricted throat, and Kai threw himself into his grandfather's arms. Once encircled within the protective embrace of his guardian, the dam, the wall that had been holding back the tears, broke.

The two stayed like that for what seemed like hours, each one trying to lessen the other's pain and sadness while trying to ease their own. They took comfort in being in each other's presence, because they knew that each other was all they would have from that moment on.

* * *

A near-inaudible, knocking sound. 

_What was that? _Kai raised his head from the sky-blue pillow and turned towards the door, faint traces of liquid sadness staining his cheeks. It had been three days after what was left of the Hiwatari family recieved the news, but Kai still couldn't seem to stop himself from bursting into fresh tears whenever someone mentioned his parents, or if he saw a photograph. As a result, he kept to himself and stayed in his room, going down only eat - if he felt like it.

"Kai-_sama_?" Slowly, the door creaked open, and one of the maids peeked in, looking anxious. Kai immediately sat up and hurriedly wiped the last few tears away.

"_Hai_?"

"There are four young people around your age who claim to be your friends. They said they want to see you."

"O-of course," Kai stammered, standing up. "But...please, tell them to come up. I don't want to disturb Grandfather and his friends downstairs."

The maid bowed and left, looking uncertain about the legitimacy of the slate-haired teen's request. In a traditional wake, all guests were to be met on the main floor of the house, and were only to be entertained by relatives after they had paid their last respects to the deceased, whose bodies were to be displayed - already in their casket - in the largest room. But then again, this wasn't as traditional as anyone would have liked: since neither Yuuhi's nor Akiko's body was found, there was nothing to display. Hence, Soichirou elected to dispense with tradition, just this once.

Another knock. Kai glanced up from his curled-up position on the bed. He knew who it was. "_O-hairi_," he called out. Once more, the oak panel swung inward, and in stepped - his hunch was right - Yuri, Takao, Rei, and Hiromi. The auburn-haired girl came forward him and sat beside him on the bed, laying a comforting hand on the teen's shoulder.

"Kai, I can't tell you how sorry I am, to hear what happened..." Hiromi said quietly, trying to look him in the eye.

"We know how much you loved your parents," Yuri added, settling into the swivel chair at Kai's desk.

"And we'd like you to know that we're here for you, man." Takao finished, sitting on Kai's other side.

"Besides, you never know, but this could be part of your God's plan..." Rei suggested, giving a small smile. "Remember Romans 8:28? 'For all things work according to Hiswill-'"

"'-to those that love His word.'" Kai finished, glancing up. "Rei, what are you getting at?"

"Just what you told me, Kai." The neko-jin stepped closer, a grim smile on his face. "You have to trust this is part of your God's plan for you. Your parents' deaths aren't meaningless; you just have to find out the reason, or wait for the reason to be revealed to you."

Kai gave a small smile. "Learning fast, aren't we? I can see that our thrice-a-week discipleship meetings are helping."

"And they should help you, too..." Rei replied, taking a seat on a wooden stool he found close by. "I hope you don't mind, though, that I said 'your God'; I'm still not sure whether to accept Him or not..."

"Don't worry; you'll get there..."

Yuri cleared his throat. "In case you two haven't noticed, there are three more of us in the room..."

"Oh, right. Sorry..." The slate-haired teen smiled apologetically. "Anyway, you guys didn't have to come directly after school; I doubt you had time to grab a snack before heading here, seeing at how early it is..."

"That's okay, Kai." Hiromi smiled. "What's more important: friends, or food?"

"True..." Kai muttered, glancing down at the floor. After a few moments, he stood up, then turned to face his companions. "C'mon," he started, making his way towards the door. "I think the snacks are being served now. You guys should get a little something..."

"Won't that look weird?" Yuri looked uncertain. "We just come downstairs and grab a bite to eat, hardly traditional..."

"It's all right; _Ojiisan_ won't mind." Kai smiled again.

"If you say so..."

* * *

"Good morning, everyone!" the light brown-haired, thirty-something woman said loudly as she stepped up to the desk at the front of the classroom. Instantly, students who were still talking quieted down and glanced at her. 

"_Ohayou gozaimasu_, Shibuya-_sensei_," Kai called from his seat in the third room, standing up as he did so. The class followed suit, only their greeting was much louder than Kai's - an anxiety-induced reaction, to be sure.

'Shibuya' just smiled, and then set down her clipboard. She then glanced directly at the slate-haired teen. "Hiwatari, it's nice to have you back. I'd like to apologize, though; I'm afraid I haven't been to offer my personal condolences; in case you don't know, I knew your mother from college, but unfortunately, we weren't that close. Perhaps if I-"

"_Domo_, _sensei_," Kai interrupted politely, a sad smile on his face. "I'm sure Grandfather will understand. I'd appreciate it, though, if we would refrain from mentioning it; I haven't come to terms with...the incident yet."

The teacher looked taken aback, blinking a few times before picking up her class list. "Well, if you insist..." she took a deep breath. "All right, everyone. I'll be taking attendance now...Azuki?"

"_Hai_!"

* * *

"Grandfather? I'm home!" Kai called, kneeling down to take off his school shoes and slip on his slippers. He entered the living room, dropped his school bag onto the sofa, and then wandered back into the main hall. Barely two weeks after 'the ceremony' - as the amethyst-eyed teen preferred to call it - had arrived, and already it seemed that he and his last living relative were back to business as usual. 

Hiwatari Soichirou poked his head out of his study. "Oh, Kai, there you are," he said gruffly. Kai nodded, offering a small smile. He knew his elder wasn't angry; he really _was_ like that at this time in the afternoon.

"So..." Soichirou began, putting down the newspaper he held. "Are you planning anything tonight?"

Kai glanced up from retrieving his bag. He shook his head, and then added, "No, I'm not. May I ask why?"

The elderly Hiwatari let out a bark of laughter. "You needn't be so formal, boy! You remind me of your father, the way you speak. He acted that way, too, when he was around your age..." he reached over and ruffled Kai's hair, just as Susumu had. Kai blinked. Perhaps _this_ was where his father had gotten the habit!

"Just because I'm the CEO of a well-known, multi-national company doesn't mean that I have to be treated as such by my own family, you know..." Soichirou settled down on the couch.

"_Gomen_." The slate-haired teen looked sheepish as he took a seat beside his grandfather. "I guess I'm...not used to speaking with you, Grandpa..."

"That's more like it..." Soichirou chuckled again, picking up his paper and folding it properly. "Anyway, Kai, I wanted to know if you had any plans for the evening because I'd wanted for us to go out to dinner together."

Purple orbs widened. "Y-you mean, just the two of us? Tonight?"

The gray-haired man nodded slowly. "Yes, tonight. And then, afterwards, we'll watch a movie. Well, if we can catch the last full show _and_ if there's anything good on."

"But...why so suddenly?" Kai started twiddling his thumbs, something he did when he felt nervous about asking what he felt was a personal or otherwise offensive question.

"Well...the accident made me rethink my priorities, and I realized that I wasn't as close to your mom and dad as I wanted to be. So, my guess is, God is telling me that I should focus a bit more on getting to know you more than I do now."

"Hmm..." the slate-haired teen looked thoughtful. "We don't really talk much, do we?" he glanced up at his guardian, giving a sheepish smile.

The pair fell silent, content in each other's company. They had a lovely view of the sky through the bay window in front of them, and occasionally a bird or more - there were many nesting in the trees surrounding the estate - would fly by, chirping and twittering away. After a while, Soichirou turned to look at his grandson.

"Kai?"

The young teen glanced up. "Yes?"

"Around two months ago, Susumu told me that you like drawing and mentioned an on-going comic book. May I see it? I have to say, I'm interested..."

Kai stood up quickly. "Um...s-sure! Hang on; I'll just go grab my portfolio from my room..." In a few minutes, the slate-haired teen had returned, a large, dark blue envelope clutched in his hands. This he handed to his grandfather. "Here."

Soichirou slowly lifted the flap and reached into the envelope. One by one, he took out the loose sheets of paper. For what seemed like forever to the teen, his elder scanned each page. At length, he glanced up, grinning proudly.

"Kai, I knew you were good and that you dabbled in art for a while, but I never expected _this_, not at your age. How long has this been going on?"

"It's been going on for a while now, Grandpa," Kai replied. "I'm working on it with Takao and Yuri."

"So it's a collaborated work." Soichirou slid the papers back into the envelope and handed the entire thing to Kai. "Tell me, Kai, are you planning to become a comic book illustrator when you graduate?"

Kai blinked. "Uh...Well, I've been thinking about it, but-"

"Uh-uh-uh..." the older Hiwatari waggled a finger in his grandson's face. "No 'buts', young man. You've been thinking about it, that's all there is to it."

"Okay..." The slate-haired teen wasn't sure where this conversation was going.

"Well, now that I've seen your work, I believe this dream of yours is going to turn out fine, Kai," Soichirou stood up. "By 'dream', I mean your wanting to 'go pro', so to speak, and work on your own comic. Anyway, here goes. If, by the time you finish high school, you still want to become a comic book illustrator, then I'll see to it that you're introduced to some comic book publishers I know."

Kai jumped up and hugged his elder ecstatically. "Thank you _so much_, Grandpa!"

Soichirou chuckled as he pryed himself loose from the teen's clutches. "Take note, though," he continued firmly. "You won't be shown favor just because you're related to me. Blood only takes you so far in this world. And I'll only introduce you; presenting copies of your portfolio and preparing your application letter will be _your_ responsibility."

Kai grinned. "I know about _that_ part, Grandfather, don't worry. Besides, introducing me to several publishers is more than enough!"

"I see..." Once more, Soichirou ruffled the slate-gray hair. "Well, enough on the future. You need to get changed if we're going to go to dinner _and_ get to the theater afterwards. We have to come home early enough so you can finish at least _half_ your homework."

"How about we go to dinner today, and then the movies tomorrow?" Kai suggested, already clutching his school bag. "After all, the movie listings don't change until Wednesday next week; there's no need to hurry."

"Well..." Kai's grandfather looked thoughtful. "I suppose you're right about that...Very well, then...off with you, now!"

"All right, all right, I'm going!" Kai said, half-laughing at the elder's bad British accent. "Just quit the accents; it doesn't suit you..."

"Just hurry up, Kai; I don't want the chauffeur to get agitated at being stuck in rush-hour traffic..."

"Will do!"

* * *

A/N: O.o Okay, this chapter was a bit...strange to write. As seen from the _manga_ and anime, Kai and his grandfather don't really get along... ; Ah, well...this _is_ an AU fic, after all, so I guess it's acceptable and/or excusable to have them a bit OOC. 

Well, hope you guys enjoyed this...installment. Hopefully the next update won't take as long...


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